Even in the vehemently eco-friendly Bay Area, we still flush our toilets with drinking water. But, two cities in the East Bay are making sure the water getting flushed down the drain doesn’t go to waste.

The East Bay Municipal Utility District, Stege Sanitary District and six cities have agreed to pay $1.5 million in fines to settle allegations they allowed raw or partially treated sewage to flow into the San Francisco Bay.

States where hydraulic fracturing is taking place have seen a surge in earthquake activity, raising suspicions that the unconventional drilling method could be to blame, especially the wells where the industry disposes of its wastewater.